1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to merchandise check-out systems for self-service stores and in particular to a merchandise cart which also serves as part of the checkstand during the checking and bagging operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a typical self-service store carts with large baskets are provided for customers to collect and transport merchandise to checkstands. The typical checkstand counter is a long rectangular counter adjacent to a cash register and divided into three physically defined segments. Normally the customer basket is unloaded onto the first segment, the merchandise is moved to the middle segment to be checked and then to the third segment to be bagged. It should be noted that the merchandise is handled three times in the typical check-out system.
In the past, efforts have been made to automate at least partially various phases of the check-out system. Among the early attempts to save time and labor were carts with removable baskets which were placed on the check-out counter to minimize the time in unloading the baskets. Next came the use of conveyor belts in the first and sometimes third segments of the check-out counter. With the introduction of conveyor belts there also came the idea of a cart adapted to the conveyor belt. Some carts were developed with sides or ends that swung open to deposit merchandise on the conveyor belts. Some carts had rollers to facilitate this movement. The ultimate mechanization of this phase of the check-out system was the cart with a basket having a conveyor belt base. When abutted against an edge of the check-out counter, the cart's conveyor belt became mechanically engaged with the counter's conveyor belt and the merchandise moved from the cart to the checker. Systems using this principle are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,036,722; 3,306,398; 3,311,197; and 3,924,709. While systems such as these eliminate one of the three handlings of the merchandise in a check-out system, they have proved ineffective in savings of time, labor and capital cost and thus are not in wide use.
The need still remains to be satisfied for a check-out system which will eliminate as much handling of the merchandise as possible, thus effecting savings in time, labor and floor space. The three major physical components of a check-out system are the cart, the check-out counter or checkstand, and the register platform. While most improvements heretofore have been directed to the cart, the checkstand deserves consideration also.
The largest physical component of a check-out system is the checkstand or counter. It is both a transport and holding device and is usually rectangular or quasi-rectangular in shape. The checkstand typically serves two purposes. First, the front segment of the checkstand serves as a transporter of merchandise from a cart to a checker. As the checker rings up the merchandise she moves it through the middle segment of the checkstand and then to the rear segment of the checkstand where it is stored temporarily and then bagged by the bagger. The typical checkstand today uses motorized conveyor belts in its first and third segments, moving merchandise to the checker and then from the checker to the bagger.
In some stores there may appear a different configuration known in the trade as on Over-the-Counter (OTC) checkstand in which the checkstand consists merely of a rear platform on which items of merchandise are placed for bagging.
The second element in a check-out system is the cart. It usually comprises a large basket mounted on a wheeled device which serves as a holding and transport device for items of merchandise which the customer wishes to purchase. The typical cart is constructed of steel, plastic coated steel or steel and plastic. The prior patent art is replete with examples of such carts. In the typical customer unloading cart, there is usually a deep basket which is slightly elevated from the floor. The customer is required to remove all selected items of merchandise from the cart and place them on the front or first segment of the checkstand, usually a motorized conveyor belt.
In some situations, there will be a checker unloading cart in which the basket is elevated much higher than the customer unloading cart. The checker unloading cart comes in two varieties, the Over-the-Counter (OTC) type or the Over-the-End (OTE) type, depending on the type of checkstand used. The Over-the-Counter cart is a checker unloading cart which fits directly over the end of the checkstand. With the OTC cart, the checker reaches into the basket for the merchandise. When the basket is empty, the cart is simply pulled toward the checker into a space between the register and the checkstand, with part of the basket moving over the checkstand.
In much the same manner the Over-the-End (OTE) cart is unloaded by the checker reaching directly into the basket. The major difference between the OTC cart and the OTE cart is that the OTE cart does not fit over the checkstand. Rather, the OTE cart rests directly against the front of the checkstand. As such, when the basket is empty, it is not pulled over the checkstand by the checker, but is removed by the customer.
The third element of a check-out system is the register stand or platform. It is simply the platform on which the register or terminal rests. It can be a freestanding unit or it can be integrated into the checkstand.
The prior art has been devoted to mechanizing one or more of the elements of a check-out system and at most to eliminating one of the three times the merchandise is handled during check-out. The pressing economic need is to integrate the physical components of the check-out system, eliminate the labor of a triple handling of the merchandise, thus saving valuable floor space and labor.
The present invention solves this problem by integrating the cart and a portion of the checkstand, two of the three major components of the check-out system. The other portion of the checkstand is redesigned to become a bagging station. With this component integration and redesign, the merchandise is handled only once from basket to bag, thus eliminating two handling steps.
There is a real need for integrating the cart and the checkstand. Present checkstands occupy approximately seventy square feet of floor space in the front of the store. This space is expensive both in terms of construction cost and in terms of loss of gross revenue from non-retail space.
The second need for integrating the cart and the checkstand arises from the two prevalent methods of check-out. In one mode the checker rings the items and moves them to the bagging area, from which the items are subsequently bagged, a double handling operation. In the other mode of operation, the checker rings the items and places them directly into the bag, thus integrating two formerly distinct operations and commonly known as "ring and bag." However, the ring and bag mode has distinct disadvantages. The customer tends to place items on the front or first segment of the checkstand in a random fashion, whence they are transported by a motorized conveyor belt to the checker, who in turn rings and bags them. However, the items reach the checker in the random order in which the customer has unloaded them. Thus, eggs, potato chips, bread, paper towels and other soft items could be the first items received by the checker. However, these items must be placed at the top of each bag. This problem is presently handled by creating an additional checkstand area known as the "set-aside" area where soft goods are temporarily placed. This set-aside area solution creates two additional problems in that it requires additional cost to the store and it requires double handling of selected items, thus defeating the purpose of the ring and bag operation.
The present invention is directed to an integral solution of the problems and costs which have arisen in prior art check-out systems. It reduces the size of the checkstand, reduces the number of times the merchandise is handled to one and significantly improves the ring and bag operation.
Reduced to its minimum the check-out system requires a platform to hold a register or electronic terminal; a platform to hold bags for merchandise; an optional platform to hold a printer, a scale, a coin dispenser or other peripheral devices; and a cart. The present invention integrates the cart into the checkstand and simplifies the ring and bag operation to its minimum, thereby eliminating the present problems of that operation.